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Halo Reach 360 Review

13/10/2010 Specialist Tech Gamer Review
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Halo Reach 360

Halo Reach

Format:
360

Genre:
Shooting

Style:
Firstperson
Singleplayer
Cooperative
Competitive

Buy/Support:
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Other GamePeople columnists have reviewed this from their perspective - huh?:
Family Gamer (360)
Perpetual Gamer (360)
Teen Gamer (360)
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Soundtrack Gamer (OST)


Halo Reach calls the faithful and unbelievers to repent and enjoy. Technically, emotionally and aesthetically this is the best Halo game so far - which probably makes it the best Halo game there will ever be.

Halo Reach is the first big game of the year for me. It brings together expectations of technical proficiency and attention to detail. Halo is a game built around the 30 second encounter of two enemies - a technical masterpiece of gaming creation. The campaign and the multiplayer have succeeded by creating a context, or excuse, for players to enjoy this moment over and over again.

As well as expectation though, there is a little sadness to Reach. No, I'm not talking about the brought in TV Shorts and Films that paint a sad humanitarian disaster around the edges of the game. It's sad because Reach marks the end of the franchise for Bungie.

Happily though, this is soon forgotten about as I head into the single player campaign. An obviously improved visual fidelity along with more open battles and flexible progression quickly mark Reach out as technically accomplished. It is, of course, familiar but also everything pops just that little bit more so that in some ways it feels fresh again.

Taking the story back to the start - prequel style - Reach gains more gravitas than the other games. Whereas they felt like plodding through the motions of an unfolding war, Halo Reach's sense of impending doom casts the game in much deeper and more interesting tones.

It is, of course, familiar but also everything pops just that little bit more so that in some ways it feels fresh again.

The big technical improvement that's thrown into the mix this time is the armour upgrades. Some things have been taken away as well - dual-wielding and equipment - but it is the novelty of the new armour that stays with you. Each armours load-out grants you with a special ability - Jetpack, camouflage and speed to name a few.

As you play through the single player you are granted each in turn - so you can really appreciate the tactical impact of such game-changing technology. It's an intelligent move that not only provides a nice tutorial for each option, but also makes the campaign feel more varied.

For me though, being easily impressed by technical achievements, it's the fresh Halo engine that got me most a flutter. Not only are the visuals crisper, but the artificial intelligence seems defter than ever. There is a strange sort of glee to being out foxed by an enemy that feels just as life-like as anyone in the multiplayer.

This realisation works by forcing you into detail strategies and convoluted plans to outfox your foe. Add in some additional souls to the multiplayer (two locally or four online) and you have the makings of one of the most intricate war game strategies I've come across.

Things are even taken out into space, in the much touted space-shooting levels. Although these are more novelty than anything central to the experience, they are implemented well enough not to detract from the main game.

It's an experience where Halo zealots and haters finally have a reason to drop arms and agree that there is an awful lot of fun to be had here.

As the stakes are upped and the boss battles start to rain in, there are some moments that impress not only on a technical level, but emotionally too. Without giving too much away, sacrifices made always feel weighty and personal - something almost unimaginable for Halo games of old.

Breaking the tension with some online play finds things just as robust. The armour upgrade system is offered in the form of a standard set of starting load-outs - weapon and armour combination that are not only well balanced but make battlefield sense too.

Halo Reach manages to out deliver Halo 3 - which was itself the most over-delivered game in history. The updated visual and intelligence engine combine with the ever more nuanced and varied game play, not to mention online modes and other new gadgets, to make this a game not to be missed. It's an experience where Halo zealots and haters finally have a reason to drop arms and agree that there is an awful lot of fun to be had here.

Written by Simon Arquette

You can support Simon by buying Halo Reach



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Simon Arquette writes the Tech Gamer column.

"Gaming technology and techniques fascinate me, always have and always will do. They've driven me to a gaming degree, and aspirations to a whole lot more. Here though, I'll be reviewing games for how they put their technology to work to deliver a compelling experience."


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